Saturday, March 11, 2006

Photo from CP and www.tsn.caThat about covers it – beaten every team in the Conference.

The Balance in the Bank:

Final Score: Ottawa wins 3-1Ottawa goals: Alfredsson (36) unassisted on a turnover, Kelly (6) on a turnover, Smolinski (14) from a nice Arnason pass from behind the net.Making Sens(e): Spezza, Alfredsson, Arnason, Smolinski, EmeryNot much Sens(e): Heatley, ReddenIt was over when: Ottawa opened the first period with three goals in 5:02, putting this game out of reach before most Atlantites figured out the game had started. Of course, most people in the seats didn’t understand the game at all anyway, so what did it matter?It was definitely over when: We refused to let them get shots in on Emery. They crossed the blue line but defensive pokechecks and terrible passing from Atlanta prevented any shot at coming back.Message in a Molson bottle: A solid start to the game followed by 45 minutes of chippyness from a dirty Atlanta team – let’s take the win and feel good about they way we played.Courtesy Boxscore:http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260310028

Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:

New Kids on the BlockMike Morrison looked solid on the bench and may actually get some games in, I would think. But more importantly, you are all wondering how Tyler Arnason looked last night. From a first-hand experience (thanks for those amazing tickets, by the way), I report back with good news and bad news about Arnie. First, the good news: his hands are awesome, he is a very good playmaker and has solid poise with the puck. He will be a very good second line center now that he has actual NHL-caliber wingers. The bad news: he is as soft as that little Snuggles bear the mysteriously shows up in your laundry closet but is so small that doesn’t set off any motion detector-induced alarms or anything. Remember that cute little bear? That is what Arnie played like last night. From what we’ve heard on his scouting report, too, we shouldn’t expect to see him throwing the body around or mucking it up in the corners much, either. This might be okay if his playmaking skills continue to rise when he centers a Smolinski/Havlat line, perhaps. All in all, Mr. Muckler made a great move, in my opinion, and picked up another legitimate scoring center that will take some pressure off Spezza and take a ton of pressure off Fisher, who can now stick to flying by third line defencemen undetected. Bold prediction of the month: Arnason will be a point-a-game player for the rest of the regular season. Cash it.

Hip Hip Hoo-Ray for EmeryRemember back to when we talked about making solid saves at the right times? It ultimately falls on a goalie to prevent the trailing team from gathering any momentum off a weak goal, for example. In Atlanta, Emery made 16 great saves – laugh it off, that isn’t a lot of work for a goalie against a very skilled set of forwards. But what was most important is that Emery made the big saves at the big moments, such as a great save on a 2-on-1 shortly after Atlanta had shortened the lead to 3-1. A 3-2 game is very, very different than a 3-1 game, agree? Emery’s solid play since the break may keep Morrison off the ice and has certainly helped us sleep at night while Hasek is out. I’m not taking this next comment anywhere, but I really haven’t even asked when Hasek is supposed to be returning lately. I guess we all just figure that Hasek will be back sometime before April 20th and in the meantime, some other dude will stop pucks for us. Somewhere on a charter bus, Patrick Lalime cries quietly and plays the “what if?” game. Seriously, we have a good backup here with Emery and these games now are turning him into a future starter for us.

Dany Lukewarm-leyI sat proudly with my Dany Heatley jersey amongst thousdands of obnoxious and ignorant Thrashers fans that for some reason, still boo a guy that played his heart out for them for three years. To summarize the ridiculousness of the crowd last night, I quote one fan that said to me during an intermission, “Enjoy Heatley now because this summer he’s gonna demand a trade to Toronto.” Well, I’m not the world’s most intelligent guy but when he looked in my eye I nearly broke out and cried…with laughter. Now without being mean or calling names, it really seems to me that these people at Phillips Arena just didn’t get the big picture. I love that they are passionate about their team. I could do without the yelling at the refs for offside and icing calls that they the fans don’t really understand to begin with. But I am just so rattled that these people cannot understand the situation that was at hand. My ladyfriend pointed out that they even go as far as to cheer on Hossa’s name strictly for additional spite. I know Dany is a professional, but both games in Atlanta he has shown frustration. I would, too. His roughing penalty was bogus (PG-13 word, there) and unwarranted. As the seasons go on, we’ll just fall more and more in love with the player that Dany Heatley is and is becoming, and we’ll sit back and smirk while Atlanta continues to boo for him for a couple of home games before getting out their golf clubs every April. I wish I had a chance to tell the fans that I’d send a postcard from the playoffs and tell them all about it – but they probably don’t know what the playoffs even are. snap.

Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less1. Dirty game. Toronto has had ugly games with Atlanta and we had one, too. Ultimately, the rumours of Bob Hartley being a dirty coach may be quite true after all and not just the rants of that silly man down the 401 in TO. Hartley also took a penalty in the dying minutes of the game for verbally abusing the ref. Classy. Guys like that are banned from Baton Rouge, right Z?2. Mike Fisher is really fast.3. New lines had Arnason and Smolinski going back and forth taking faceoffs on Alfredsson’s line. Neither were great, but the line had some decent chemistry considering they had just met.4. Vermette is a good, fast player, but he still doesn’t look like the right fit with Spezza and Heatley. Coach Murray’s most difficult task for the remainder of the season will be getting the right players together for the rest of the regular season and then doing that all over again when Havlat returns.5. Defense was good, but I still thought Redden needs to be tougher in his own corners. Don’t take that as a bad thing, I still want Redden to be a Senators for life. Second bold prediction – Chara and Redden both re-sign.6. Outshooting teams 35-17 is a good sign towards a win.7. Try and catch the replay of Spezza’s hipcheck on Kovalchuk. Great stuff. Hey, if Ilya wants to point at Sidney after he goals (which I loved, by the way), then he needs to be prepared to take a little bit of it, too. So long as nobody gets hurt out there, I think it is great when stars can hit other stars.8. Marc Savard ran by and clipped Emery shortly after Heatley was given a roughing penalty on Lehtonen on the other end. Brutal move – who’s the idiot that wanted to trade for that Savard guy, anyway?9. Neil was the only one to not get a single second of powerplay ice time. Funny how things change like that, eh?10. Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

OttawaArnasen for Bochenski and a 2nd round pick: Arnasen is, by all accounts, a chronic underachiever who has never lived up to his god given skill. The Sens picked him up because he is a scoring center that may be able to produce in the playoffs. He has played a whopping 3 playoff games in his career. Arnasen is also know as having a poor work ethic and came to camp this year overweight. I do not like this deal because a second round pick is valuable and because I think Bochenski will round out into a nifty little player. All that being said, we needed a scorer and Arnasen loosly fits the bill.

Winner: Wash

MontréalTheodore for Aebisher: Pierre Lacroix has the most to gain and the most to lose out of this deal. Aebisher would not have taken Colorado to the finals this year but could maybe get the a few rounds. Now he has taken on an injured goalie that will be ready ONE-Week before the playoffs. Sounds insane right? But suppose Theodore gets back to form, which he very well could with this change of scenery, he could take them to the Promised Land. Do I think this will happen? No. Gainey played it safe, cleared cap room and now has two options in goal. Theodore would have never recovered in Montreal. Good move.

Winner: Montréal

Todd Simpson for a 6th round pick: Good job by Gainey. Montreal needed a depth defenceman and got one. A sixth is an insignificant pick.

Winner: Montréal

Toronto:Luke Richardson for a 4th or 5th: As per usual the Leafs have no direction and bring an old man home for a victory lap. Excuse me while I vomit. Stupid move.

Winner: Columbus

Klee for Suglobov: Suglobov is Albany’s leading scorer. Eklund even went as far as calling him a stud. He is no such thing. He is 24 and not in the NHL. He will not amount to anything in the NHL. On the other hand Klee is about as useless as Geoffrey is on the mini-put course.

Winner: Toronto

Boston:Sampsonov for Reasoner and a 2nd: Fantastic move by Edmonton. For those who have seen him play, Sampsonov is highly skilled and has sick hands. He should be a valuable commodity down the stretch for Edmonton.

Winner: Edmonotn

BuffaloMikka Noronen for a 2nd: Congrats to David Nonnis for landing the best goalie available on the market. Ive seen Noronen play a few times and he is a great goalie who never got a fair Shake in Buffalo. Nonnis paid less than the Oil did for Rolosen and I think he is a better player.

Final Score: Florida wins 6-2Ottawa goals: Schaefer (17) reaping the benefits of Fisher’s hard work, Vermette (15) on a pass in front from Schubert.Making Sens(e): depth lines, Eugene Melnyk’s horsesNot much Sens(e): Chara, Phillips, Pizza LineIt was over when: Horton scored 11 seconds after Schaefer had tied it up for us early into the second period, stopping any momentumIt was definitely over when: Everyone else on Florida scored.Message in a Molson bottle: Very lazy game, lots of mistakes, turnovers, lost battles and faceoffs – one to erase from the mind before going to Atlanta to take these guys down.Courtesy Boxscore:http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260308026

Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:

Horses can’t skateAnd apparently after spending a day on Mr. Melnyk’s ranch with his four-legged friends, neither can our players. We lost most battles in the corner, most faceoffs, and most races. The case in point is late in the third period when Chara sadly lost a foot race to speed skater Rostislav Olesz before the latter drew Emery out of the net and popped in their third insurance goal, like that was necessary. Chara’s lackluster effort on that goal summed up the night for the Sens as he lazily stuck out his stick to attempt a poke check instead of diving down and breaking up the play properly. Our top players were our bottom feeders tonight and they know it, too. However, it is just a bump on the road and back we go to Atlanta for another crack at it, hopefully skating a little stronger. Hey – after today’s 3pm deadline, maybe Marc Savard will dress for US tomorrow night! But probably not.

Defensively defenselessYou know your team is in for a long night when your top pairing of Chara and Phillips round out the night at a minus-7. I’m not claiming to be an expert on the sport or anything, but I would think that would make winning a lot tougher. I also think when your defencemen allow 38 shots to get through to your backup goalie, no matter how well he has been playing, is also not an effective way to win hockey games. Florida has that ‘nothing to lose’ mentality right now (as will the Thrashers tomorrow night) and we had the ‘I just love horses so much’ attitude, which isn’t as intimidating or effective in a hockey game. Chara was seen biting too hard in the neutral zone and getting burned, and it again led to odd-man rushes against Emery, and that usually leads to goals. Emery doesn’t cover the crease like Hasek does, so those chances against us usually result in playing from behind. Let’s regroup, eat a rack of ribs, and try again. “Sorry, coach, I can’t play tonight. It’s da horses – they’re so lovely.”

Shake it off, fellasPizza Line finished at minus-8 and no points with Jason Spezza going 33% in the faceoff circle. The effectiveness of this line relies a lot on puck control. I’ve heard that it is much more difficult to control the puck when you don’t even have it – that’s just a rumour at this point, though. There is no doubt that this line had begun to click again, so let’s see their performance in Atlanta Friday and give them the benefit of the doubt. South Beach does some strange things to people, as our Winthrop baseball team once spent a day in the ocean there before losing to the University of Miami Hurricanes in a nail-biter, 18-1 back in 1999. Perhaps the Ocala ranch did the same thing to the team. Time to use this as a reminder that we are human and the way to win games is to outwork the opponent. As the Pezz Dispenser so eloquently said, when we outwork the other teams, we will win. That is cocky and true. If we play harder then the other team, our sheer skill will take over and we’ll win 9 times out of 10, unless Martin Gerber is in net, of course. Onward and upward, boys!

Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or lessSTAY TUNED LATER TODAY ON THE WEBSITE – MATT WILLIAMS WILL BE WRITING HIS ANNUAL TRADE DEADLINE ANALYSIS AND REGULAR SEASON PREDICTIONS. THIS IS THE EVENT OF THE YEAR.Trade deadline today at 3pm. Watch for Toronto trading prospects for the elderly again in an incomprehensible push for the post-season.Mike Fisher still played well in the game – he always does.Schubert and Vermette have developed chemistry. How often do players on the fourth line have chemistry? I love it.Don’t forget to check this site daily – http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.

Upcoming GamesFriday at Atlanta, 7:00pm, watch for the streaker during the second period with http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/ pained strategically on his chest and back.Sunday at Washington, 3:00pmTuesday vs. Tampa Bay, 7:30pmThursday at Boston, 7:00pmnext Saturday vs. Buffalo, 7:00pm

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Final Score: Ottawa wins 4-nilOttawa goals: Vermette (14) on a pass from Schubert, Spezza (16) on a pass to the slot from Heatley, Fisher (20) on that nasty wrister down the left side, Schaefer (16) from Pothier to put it out of reachMaking Sens(e): Spezza and Heatley, EmeryNot much Sens(e): McGrattan was a scratch, so he wasn’t very good – foot still bruised from blocking a shot in the Toronto game.It was over when: Ottawa scored 1:31 apart in the second to turn a 1-0 game into a 3-0 game.It was definitely over when: We outshot them 17-7 in the third and really just prevented any type of late attack.Message in a Molson bottle: A solid all-around effort from the top lines to the defencemen to the netminder. The road trip is off to a pretty good start thus far.Courtesy Boxscore:http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260306020Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:

I like my Pizza Line extra saucyThe only drawback of Heatley and Spezza playing so well together again is that Don Cherry won’t shut up about how right he was that linemates should have been playing together in Italy. Besides sour grapes, we should be thrilled that these two kids have rediscovered that chemistry that once made John Muckler a potential write-in vote for PM. I know I’ve Spezza a good ribbing (that’s too easy) over the past few months about his strength, discipline, and defensive development, but I must say I love where his head is at these days and so long as he and Heaters have this buzz going, let’s just sit back and enjoy.

A beaming Ray of sunshineHow clever that in the Sunshine State, it is the visitor’s Ray that is doing all the shining. Emery was solid again putting up 31 saves and winning his fourth (of four) since the break. It has been a rare occurrence that Ottawa fans have been forced to live with our backup for an extended period. And it is a great feeling to know that the guy that we stick in there is doing one heck of a job. A while back, John Muckler, General Manager Extraordinaire, stated that Ray Emery was the goaltender of the future in Ottawa. Fans looked at the guy that was better known for fights than for wins and said, “has the old man lost it?” But the more we doubt, the more he proves that he knows exactly what he is doing. Beyond the cockroaches and tattoos is a kid that was thrown into a difficult situation filled with pressure and opportunity. While Emery may not have known it, I would go as far to say that his career in Ottawa may well have depended on how he performed – a sloppy job would lead Muckler to bringing in a replacement, shattering Emery’s confidence and potentially leading to us letting him go. Instead, Ray has won all four contests and is playing better than he ever has. Continue on, Mr. Muckler, or should we call you the Oracle?

I make mistakesAntoine Vermette is playing the best hockey of his life right now. He is skating better than ever, faster than ever, and stronger than ever. His points total continue to rise and he has even shown signs of toughness. In the Tampa game, he was hit across the head with his own helmet, leading to a two-game suspension of some guy whose name I won’t try and spell or pronounce. Before the break when we were inconsistent, Vermette was regularly making Sense and playing hard. Now that the rest of the team has caught up, let’s not Vermette’s performance be overshadowed. I once called for the kid to be traded after I had given up on his slow development. I might have been wrong here and I’m glad he’s still with the team! Great penalty killer, too. Solid performance tonight, again, and he continues to earn every second of the ice time he gets.

Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or lessFisher was 70% in the faceoff circle. Awesome. This guy is a second-line center, so don’t get all upset when Jokinen stays in Florida after Thursday.Can’t believe Pothier didn’t score tonight! What a bust. I was hoping for four in a row.I get to go to the Atlanta game Friday and proudly sport the Sens Heatley jersey and will stuff dirty socks in the mouths of anyone that dares to boo him.Don’t forget to check this site daily – www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com.

Upcoming GamesWednesday at Florida, 7:00pmFriday at Atlanta, 7:00pm – the votes are in - and I’m going with my Heatley jersey.Sunday at Washington, 3:00pm

Monday, March 06, 2006

Today has been a bit of a downer for young Geoffrey and me. As much as I want to believe that this deadline will be as exciting as times past, it is becoming clear that it wont. Too many teams believe that they are still in the hunt. Usually, even teams that were close would still cut their losses, realizing that even if they did squeak in their venture would be fruitless. Unfortunately the Toronto Maple Leaves have come out saying that they believe that they will make it to the dance and Don Waddell has gone as far to guarantee it. What? I hate to break it to any Leafs sympathizers but if you have are more than 4 points out at this point - the season is over.

Today I will attempt to clear the air on the other teams in the NE division for you.

Montreal: Expect the Habs to add a strong defencemen if they can. Don’t be surprised to see Willy Mitchell in the red, blue and white come Friday. Les Habitants are also in the market for a good second line centre – but who isnt? Expect a prospect to go the other way.

Toronto: Expect JFJ to ADD at the deadline. I have it from a good source at MLSE that JFJ has been told that he cannot hold a fire sale and he is to try and improve this team at the deadline. You may see the Leafs try and land Witt and Arnason. He will not move his first round pick but will part with a number 2 or any number of prospects – including Matt Stajan.

Buffalo : Expect Noronen to be moved if they get a good return. The Sabres are in great shape for the playoff's as is - expect very little action.

Boston: Boston is not averse to moving Sampsonov but they are right in the hunt at this point and may want to make a late push. The one guy that I can see being moved is Raycroft. If they do move Raycroft it will be to the Oilers. The Oilers will give the Bruins what ever prospect they desire (not including Schremph).

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Final Score: Ottawa wins 4-2Ottawa goals: Eaves (12) lays a bodycheck behind the Toronto net and walks in front to bang in a rebound, Pothier (4) for his third in three games with a shot from the point, Heatley (36) with the game-winner, a one-timer from his Pizza linemate that showed flashes of brilliance, Chara (12) with a short-handed empty netter to cap it off.Making Sens(e): Spezza, Heatley, Emery, EavesNot much Sens(e): Redden, AlfredssonIt was over when: Heatley blasted a shot high side before Belfour moved, putting us up for good.It was definitely over when: Fisher’s faceoff win to Chara in our zone was lifted into the empty net for a short-handed goal to ice the win.Message in a Molson bottle: At times a lackluster effort, the Sens did just enough to put the once-rival Leaves away with solid goaltending and timely goals. Solid Toronto effort wasn’t enough, showing that we can occasionally win games with an average performance.Courtesy Boxscore:http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/boxscore?gameId=260304021

Grab a Timmy’s double-double and listen to what really happened:

Muckler calls off goaltender issueThree games have passed and our brutally honest GM has officially called off any question about finding a new backup goalie. And rightfully so. This was the biggest game of his young career and he gave us the best performance of his young career. This game was never more than a one-goal affair, and Rayzer kept us in it throughout with timely saves and excellent composure. The Emery of January gave up goals in bunches (or as some of his teammates referred to it, in racks of ribs), often letting one bad goal lead to a mental breakdown. This time, he stuck with it and refused to let the pressure of playing a Hockey Night in Canada game in Toronto negatively affect him. Some reports show Hasek coming back in a week, others say it might be longer, but the last three games have proven that so long as it is before the playoffs, we’ll be fine. Great job, Rayzer.

Sometimes Alfie can’t make it on his ownAs I have repeatedly said in the past, I hold Alfredsson, Chara, Redden, Hasek, Spezza, and Heatley to a higher standard than everyone else. These are our best players and since they are Senators, doesn’t that make them some of the best in the NHL? No bias there, eh? But seriously, it is always easier to notice Alfredsson and Redden on an off night then it is, say, Schubert and Varada. Alfredsson had shots stopped that usually go in. He plays his heart out each and every game but sometimes he just doesn’t find the back of the net – that’s okay because we have the depth for others to pick up the goals. No major statements here other than that Alfie usually scores on those same shots that were saved in this game. Moreover, I thought Redden lost way too many battles in our corners tonight. I understand he isn’t a physical defencemen like Chara and Phillips, but he was very soft this game and I hate to say it, but this has been too regular lately. Redden in one of the best d-men in the league and is in for a huge raise, I just expect him to be at his best and strongest in these final games leading into the playoffs. Both of these guys will be fine in the post-season, but I just wish they’d be at the top of their game for a HNIC in Toronto appearance.

5 Keys to a Long Playoff RunSince the Battle of Ontario doesn’t have much left to talk about, here’s a new idea. Let’s really break down the five keys to a successful journey to 16 playoff wins. Please let me know whether you agree or disagree with any of these points in the comments box.1. Hasek’s best performance ever. Dominik won a Cup with Detroit on a team that was so much better than everyone else. Frankly, I could have backstopped that lineup to at least the Conference Finals. This time around with competition tough in both conferences, Hasek will need to play the best hockey of his Hall of Fame career, bar none. He is the hardest working man in sports and will come back 110%, and then the burden is on his shoulders to stand on his head from April until June.

2. Pizza Line feeding Ottawa fans regularly. It is no secret that when these guys score, we win games, and when they are bad, we lose games. The Spezza-Heatley game winner last night was exactly what we will need going through the post-season and let’s hope that their early season chemistry will re-appear again in time to win us some slices of ‘zza. In a related story, Baton Rouge will begin offering a free bbq rib everytime Chara has six bodychecks and the Sens win.

3. Fisher to earn the ‘A’. Without offending Redden and Chara (and I’m still convinced we re-sign them both), I would love to see Mike Fisher wearing the A next season. He needs to earn it in the playoffs. He has always been a solid performer in the postseason and this needs to be his best ever. He is our second line center right now (trade deadline is Thursday at 3pm), and is becoming a leader in the dressing room. His passion and drive is a motivating force for his line and his team and he truly has the ability to turn a game around. That’s right – I just calledMike Fisher a gamebreaker in the playoffs. Dig it.

4. Rookies grow up fast. Meszaros has already been promoted to be Redden’s partner. Eaves was told to get a place in Ottawa. Emery is once again the future of the Sens goaltending. Schubert plays well enough to be a forward or a defencemen. Kelly is on the top penalty-killing unit. Even McGrattan can be stuck on the ice in the third period of a close game without the fear of making a mistake! The composure of these rookies must continue to increase in the postseason as they have proven to give us such depth when the top line slows down and picked up the heat when the defensive leaders go soft.

5. Alfredsson must win the Conn Smythe. You didn’t think I could get through five of these without touching on Alfredsson, did you? As I have said before, only one non-Canadian captain has ever won the Stanley Cup – that was the American, Derian Hatcher with Dallas. That will all change this year when the Super Swede takes what he learned in Torino and applies to the greater goal, Lord Stanley. Alfredsson has been getting better and better each year and this will definitely be his finest moment in hockey. His leadership is among the top in the NHL and the same can be said about his raw skill and talent. He can take over a game in one shift, he can calm his entire team, and he can score before you even know the game has started. #11 has to be our best player until mid-June and has to be there to shake Bettman’s hand for the Cup and for the Conn Smythe. Fill out your deposit slip and take that to the bank. Or use your bank card, either way.

Loblaws Express Lane – 10 items or less- Physical game – 70 total hits.- Toronto is now 7 points out of the playoffs and has to go 16-6 to get to the magical number of 90 points that is said to usually ensure a postseason berth.- That tribute to Tie Domi was ridiculous. He made a longer speech for playing his 1000th game than LaFontaine did when they retired his number the night before. I’m going on strike if the CBC doesn’t give me those 15 minutes back. On the other hand, it is truly amazing that such a terrible player lasted that long.- Havlat is said to be back for the first week of April- While my co-blogger Matt Williams is the trade expert, my two cents is that Keenan finally caves in and trades Jokinen to us for a 1st and 2nd round pick on a pure rental basis. The reason we get him is because Muckler is the only GM to agree to not go after Jokinen in the off-season. With the promise that Jokinen will return to Florida in the summer, we rent him for a few months at the expense of draft picks. We also get Barnaby and Derek Morris and sadly, Schubert and McGrattan take to the press box.- Chris Kelly made his first major bonehead turnover of the year that led to Toronto’s second goal. He has earned the mulligan and all is forgiven.- Don’t forget to check this site daily and post your comments and arguments– http://www.northeasthockey.blogspot.com/.

Upcoming GamesMonday at Tampa Bay, 7:30pmWednesday at Florida, 7:00pmFriday at Atlanta, 7:00pm – should I go? Vote now at americanidol.com

Photos in this blog

Please note that there are numerous photos being used in this blog from various sources across the Internet. These are not attempts at republishing pictures without consent, but merely a chance to add a face to a name.